Everyone has to say sorry sometime or the other in their lifetime. Yes, even big companies. This great article offers suggestions on how a company can publicly apologize without losing face. A sincere apology from a large corporation has long-term, image-saving effects. Public Relations experts share their tips on crafting the perfect apology. For instance, it’s vital to pick and choose the right words when apologizing. CEOs should not be afraid to use the word ‘sorry’, ‘apologize’ or ‘regret’ as it shows ownership. Be direct and get straight to the point instead of hemming and hawing.

Also, make the apology sound personal. Follow up an apology letter with a phone call or e-mail to check back. Avoid form letters, re-used templates or pre-recorded messages as it makes
the recipient feel nameless or faceless or irrelevant. Next, ensure that your timing is right. Don’t let your apology go past its due date. You risk angering your customers. In this age of social media, issue a statement as close to the incident as possible to minimize damage via Facebook, Twitter or, worse, the age old infamous word-of-mouth method. Lastly, end your apology on a positive note by openly telling the recipient what corrective action you will take. This reassures your customers that you are aware of their concerns and want to improve.

Source: Tim Donnelly www.inc.com September 14, 2011

The Harold Washington Library in Chicago is conducting a very bold and cool experiment. YOUmedia, a Digital Library Space for Teens, was formerly a storage space that has now been converted into a digital media library for teenagers. Packed chock a block with laptop computers, music keyboards, recording equipment, video cameras and gaming console. Teenagers are encouraged to consume and produce media. Yes, you read correctly! The project sprang from research on how digital media affect kids’ literacy. It has already proven to be a success as not only young people flock to it but librarians, educators and scholars as well. The author states that just as schools have always pushed teens to read, educators must now teach kids how to consume media critically and, ideally, to produce it.

YOUmedia’s basic tenets were derived from Mizuko Ito, a cultural anthropologist at the University of California, Irvine, who in 2006 studied how teens use ‘new media’. Her team identified that most kids shifted between three stages of consumption and creation, informally dubbed ‘Hanging Out’, ‘Messing Around’ and ‘Geeking Out.’ In the first stage, the kids mostly text friends and visit sites like Facebook. In the second stage, teens begin to take an interest in the media and begin ‘messing’ with it to come up with their own creations. ‘Geeking Out’, the last stage, involves using new media intensely to the point of ignoring friends and seeking out technology experts for help. YOUmedia is designed to accommodate all three stages.

It seems like the future of neighborhood libraries is finally here and it’s loud with the sounds of music, video games and conversation everywhere. Silence is definitely out!

Source: Gregg Toppo USA Today October 10, 2011

Social and mobile technologies are behind the exciting new workspace design phenomenon where more and more companies are operating with fewer desks. The author discusses how designing new spaces around tablets, smart phones and other mobile accessories is creating a more widely distributed workforce. He cites Cisco Systems in San Jose, California, as an example where office space has been smartly manipulated and reconfigured to suit newer work styles.

Called Connected Workplace, it replaces individual cubicles with open clusters of wheeled desks that belong to groups, not individuals. Employees keep their personal belongings in lockers. PCs are passé as everyone uses mobile technologies. Cisco’s vision is an example of a broader effort to reshape office technologies and environments. This project was initiated after an internal study found that cubicles were vacant two-thirds of the time while people roamed the campus or worked remotely.

Connected Workplace saves the corporation a ton of money in real estate and overhead costs. In the future, they expect to save on healthcare costs as well as employees who move around more are often healthier and happier.

Source: Tom Simonite Business Impact September/October 2011

According to the authors of this article, Americans of all ages and income groups are increasingly unhappy with their jobs and work environments. This is surprising in a downturn economy when you would normally expect people to be thrilled to have a job. Gallup estimates the cost of America’s disengagement crisis at a staggering $300 billion in lost productivity annually. Unhappy employees mean less productivity and a declining bottom line. This can greatly affect a company’s survival during a recession. The duo researched the, “micro-level causes behind this macro-level problem”. Their analysis revealed sobering results. One-third of the workers were unhappy, unmotivated or both.

Their research proved that inner work life has a profound impact on workers’ creativity, productivity, commitment and collegiality. Employees are far more likely to have new ideas on days when they feel happier. The authors suggest that managers—from CEOs to small-team leaders—should play a more instrumental role in ensuring that people are happily engaged at work by removing obstacles, providing help and acknowledging strong effort. These small, inexpensive leadership changes could help end the disengagement crisis and, in the process, lift our work force’s wellbeing and our economy’s productivity.

Source: Teresa Amabile And Steven Kramer New York Times September 3, 2011